Messenger

After Virtuous Consort Xiao returned to her palace, the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. In a fit of pique, she smashed the scented pouch, but it still wasn't enough to vent her anger. It just so happened that the Fifth Prince, Wen Rui, came to pay his respects and caught the brunt of her temper. He was given a scolding and left in disgrace.

The rear palace was a tiny place. Naturally, the events in the garden couldn't be hidden from the eyes and ears of the various consorts, and within half a day, the entire palace knew. Consort Xian of the Su Clan didn't like anyone anyway; it was a dog-eat-dog world, and it was best if they both suffered. The truly triumphant Consort Yu merely smiled faintly upon hearing the news. "The Duke of Xu has just achieved military merit, and Virtuous Consort has become so arrogant she looks down her nose at everyone. It's about time someone taught her a lesson."

The Prince of Yan, Wen Zhuo's birth mother, Radiant Consort Yang, had accompanied the imperial procession to Pingjing and was residing in Suiyue Hall. Because of Wen Zhuo's meritorious service in pacifying the people of Tangshan, the Emperor had granted him special permission to enter the palace to visit his birth mother on the fifth and tenth day of every ten-day period. When Radiant Consort Yang brought this up in casual conversation, she advised Wen Zhuo, "Princess Chiming is a person of true depth and cunning. Mother can't help you much. If not for the Princess's assistance, you would have rarely had the opportunity to make an appearance before His Majesty. You must cherish it and foster good relationships."

"I understand, Mother."

Wen Zhuo had been away for more than half a year. When he left, he still had a youthful air about him, but now he had transformed into a sharp and heroic young man. He had shot up in height like a sapling, and standing in the room, he seemed to block out the light. "That Consort Xu... she hasn't been bullying you, has she?"

Radiant Consort Yang shook her head. Wen Zhuo eyed her suspiciously, and she couldn't help but laugh. "Truly, she hasn't. I've long since given up on vying for favor. I'm not her enemy, so why would she provoke me for no reason? Besides, from my cool observation, her temperament seems rather upright, unlike the narrow-minded and jealous types like Consort Xian and Virtuous Consort."

"As long as you haven't been bullied, that's good." Wen Zhuo's worry lessened slightly. "His Majesty has a new favored consort. I've heard about it in the outer court as well. I was just afraid she would be as tyrannical as the Fu Clan back then, disturbing Mother's peace once again."

During the three years the Fu Clan was favored, the six palaces were completely silenced. Not to mention an unremarkable consort like Radiant Consort Yang, even the three highest-ranking consorts found it difficult to compete and were suppressed into submission. It was precisely because of this precedent that they were now doing everything they could to suppress Xu Yingluo, afraid that after sending away a tiger and a leopard, they would welcome a jackal and a wolf.

"When has the rear palace ever been peaceful? Are those few any less capable than the Fu Clan? None of them are easy to deal with. And now that the princes are growing older, there's even more to fight over." Radiant Consort Yang sighed. "Sanlang, Mother has no grand ambitions. I only hope that you will be safe and sound. I pray that Bodhisattva will protect us and give us, mother and son, a chance to reunite under the open sky in this life."

Wen Zhuo reached out and grabbed her sleeve hem like an anxious child, promising earnestly, "We definitely will! Mother, you must take good care of your health and wait for me to bring you out. It's a promise."

Hearing this, the corners of Radiant Consort Yang's eyes curved into crescents. She gently stroked his head. "Yes, it's a promise."

Several days later, the eunuch who had been ordered to Zhaojing to investigate the Crown Prince's illness returned to Pingjing and reported the entire matter to the Emperor in detail. The Imperial Medical Academy's records stated that the Crown Prince was suffering from an externally contracted wind-evil, along with mental fatigue and excessive worry, which resulted in his inability to sleep soundly at night. The imperial physicians had prescribed some medications to calm the spirit, nourish the heart, support righteousness, and dispel evil. However, when the eunuch inquired with the Eastern Palace's close attendants, he learned that the Crown Prince was actually just drunk. Although it was publicly announced that he was bedridden, he was moving about as usual, eating and sleeping well, and showing no signs of illness.

The Emperor: "..."

His chest heaved violently for a moment, and his voice trembled with anger. "He is simply... he is simply..."

Liang Jiang hurriedly offered the Emperor tea, forcing back those terrible words. "Your Majesty, please quell your anger. The Crown Prince has always been obedient and sensible. Perhaps there is some misunderstanding in this..."

The Emperor took a deep breath and closed his eyes to compose himself. When he spoke again, every word seemed to be forced through gritted teeth. "Then go investigate! Find out who instigated the Crown Prince to feign illness."

The eunuch looked at Liang Jiang, flustered and unsure whether to accept the order. Liang Jiang quickly replied, "Yes, this servant will arrange it at once. Your Majesty, anger harms the body. Your dragon-body is of utmost importance. You mustn't let anger ruin your health."

He shot a glance, and the eunuch quietly withdrew, leaving only the Emperor and Liang Jiang in the vast study.

"The Crown Prince has grown up, and his ambitions have grown with him. He's already learned to use such despicable methods to deceive Us." The Emperor slammed a memorial onto the desk and sneered, "He's doing this to cooperate with Su Lizhen and Consort Xian, anxious to urge Us back to the capital. Seeing Us reward the Prince of Yue, every one of them has become restless."

Liang Jiang kept his head down, his back tense, a fine layer of cold sweat breaking out. He kept his mouth tightly shut, not uttering a single sound.

The Emperor glanced at him silently, somewhat satisfied with his caution, and commanded grimly, "Send two meticulous people to investigate this for Us in detail. Find out who is giving the Crown Prince ideas from behind the scenes. Don't let any outsiders know."

Liang Jiang bowed. "This servant obeys."

Su Lizhen waited and waited, repeatedly bringing up the arrangements to return to the capital, but the Emperor refused to entertain it, brushing him off with "we'll discuss it next time" on each occasion. At first, he suspected Wen Chan was playing tricks behind the scenes, but it wasn't long before Consort Xian suddenly sent a message—the twenty-fourth day of the fourth month was Consort Xu's birthday, and the Emperor had already ordered the various palace departments to begin preparations for a grand banquet in Pingjing to celebrate.

What an extraordinary honor this was!

To disregard even the Crown Prince's illness for a favored consort—was the Emperor that unconcerned about the Crown Prince, or did he simply not trust their Su Family at all?!

When Su Lizhen received the letter, he sat in his chair for a long time, unable to recover. Two blisters formed on his lip that very day. While drinking herbal tea to cool his internal fire, he had to send a trusted subordinate back to appease the Crown Prince, instructing him by all means not to show any resentment. In the palace, Consort Xian was so angry she couldn't stop crying. She didn't sleep all night, and the next day, she summoned an imperial physician, claimed to be too ill to get up, and pushed the task of organizing the banquet onto Pure Consort and Virtuous Consort.

Consort Xian's rank was above the other consorts, and she held power over the rear palace. Because she was the Crown Prince's birth mother, the Emperor had treated her with considerable respect in the past. But this time, upon hearing of her illness, he didn't even ask a single question, merely ordering the other two consorts to prepare diligently before lightly brushing the matter aside.

When a man's heart turned cruel, he cared not for sworn oaths or the mother of his child; he turned his back on them faster than flipping through a book. Consort Xian's illness had been half out of anger and half a test, but now her heart was filled with despair. 'Illness comes like a landslide,' and she truly could no longer get out of bed.

In the Princess Manor, Cheng Xuan reported the news from the palace to Wen Chan and, as expected, saw a fleeting blank expression on the Princess's face.

Speaking of Xu Yingluo, being her enemy sometimes brought a strange sense of powerlessness, as if being kicked out of nowhere. But as an ally, just thinking of the look on their opponents' faces, as if they'd swallowed a fly, was secretly satisfying.

"Go to the storehouse and pick a gift. Send it to the palace for Consort Xu's birthday." Wen Chan thought for a moment, then added, "The gift should be valuable, but not too ostentatious."

Cheng Xuan was like an efficient and worry-free chief steward. Faced with the Princess's seemingly general yet tricky request, he agreed with an unruffled "Mhm," and then said, "Today, the palace bestowed two agarwood fans, a pair of gold and silver bowls, and a basket of fresh fruit. Does Your Highness wish to inspect them?"

"It's not a holiday or festival, why the sudden reward? What's the reason?"

Cheng Xuan said, "I heard from a palace eunuch that His Majesty was touring Mount Hewang yesterday and ordered the painters of the Hanlin Academy to paint landscapes on folding fans. There were twenty in total. The various princes and Your Highness each received two, the court ministers each received one, and the rest were just extras."

"Understood. Put them away for now."

Cheng Xuan hesitated for a moment. "Is Your Highness not keeping one for personal use?"

Even skipping a stone across water makes a sound. To receive an imperial gift and put it in the storehouse to collect dust without even a glance was not much like the Princess's usual style.

"Summer is still far away," Wen Chan's gaze fell on an ancient painting hanging on the wall, a smile flickering across her face, so light it was like an illusion. "Besides, I'm not short on fans."

She couldn't even be bothered to glance at the imperial gift of a landscape painting, yet a Plum Blossom, Camellia, and Snow Finch Painting was that amusing?

Or was it that her smile was simply because she had thought of a certain someone?

Cheng Xuan tactfully said no more and went to put the items away in the storehouse himself.

Wen Chan sat before her desk, her fingertips tapping a regular rhythm on the surface as she silently calculated in her mind: she had bought herself time; next was to wait for news from Pei Rusong. By her calculations, they should have arrived in Wuyuan by now. In her past life, Pei Rusong had spent a total of five or six years in Gu Prefecture. When it came to experience in handling border affairs, he was much stronger than Lu Shuo. Logically, Wen Chan knew she should trust him, but there were too many variables in this life. Everything ahead seemed known, but underneath lay a hidden, turbulent undercurrent. She was afraid he would trust the experience of his past life too much and end up tripping in an unexpected place.

Just as Wen Chan was lost in thought, the light in the room suddenly dimmed. She gave a small start and turned her head to see a black cloak hanging down like wings. A Crow was hanging upside down, perched on her windowsill. "Morning, Your Highness."

"Morning, bat." Wen Chan asked politely, "Is there something you need from me?"

"Not a bat," the Crow stressed. "I'm a Magpie today."

Wen Chan nodded. "Alright, bat."

The Crow: "..."

The two stared at each other for a moment. In the end, Wen Chan, an ordinary person, couldn't out-stare a wild night owl. She blinked furiously to relieve the ache and was the first to concede. "Fine, Lord Magpie, what are your orders?"

Like a magician, the Crow pulled out a three-inch-long bamboo tube from behind her back. Just as she was about to hold it in her mouth to pretend she was an auspicious messenger, Wen Chan quickly yelled, "Dirty!" and snatched a tea cake from the desk to throw at her. The Crow accurately caught it mid-air, tossed the message tube into her lap, and contentedly flipped back onto the roof to eat her snack.

Raising a bird really requires quick eyes and hands.

Wen Chan looked at the message tube that had landed on her. Perhaps for psychological reasons, she felt it was covered in someone's saliva. She hissed softly, carefully picked it up through her sleeve, twisted open the cap, and took out the thin letter paper inside.

The characters were very small and written a bit sloppily, but Wen Chan could recognize whose handwriting it was at a glance.

The charges against the Military Governor of Wuyuan, Xiao Dingfang, were true. A small-scale rebellion broke out within the Wuyuan Army, which was suppressed by Pei Rusong in conjunction with the other defending generals. The situation in Wuyuan Commandery was currently stable for the time being. Besides reporting his safety to the Princess, he had already dispatched a fast horse back to Pingjing to deliver the news to the Emperor.

Late at night, inside Yunzhi Palace, a secret memorial from Wuyuan lay open on the Emperor's desk. Kneeling before him was the secret agent who had returned from Zhaojing.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the person who is currently always by the Crown Prince's side, advising and scheming for him, is Su Yanjun, son of the Grand Master of Remonstrance Su Xie, and the current Attendant to the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace."

"Another one with the surname Su."

The flickering candlelight reflected in the Emperor's eyes. His smile sent a chill down one's spine. "Truly, the tree is large and its roots are deep."